Pseudoseizures: ictal phenomena.
Videotapes of 71 pseudoseizures from 27 patients were reviewed and clinical phenomena were recorded. Twenty patients demonstrated decreased response to verbal stimuli; 15 described subjective phenomena; 22 had motor activity; 14 semipurposeful movements simulating epileptic automatisms; 19 alimentary phenomena; 9 respiratory change; and 12 nonverbal vocalization. Episodes could be divided into four major ictal patterns. Fifteen patients had bilateral motor episodes; three had unilateral motor episodes; eight had episodes with multiple behavioral phenomena; and three demonstrated episodes with an impaired response but no observable behavior. Eighteen of the 20 patients with multiple episodes had a stereotyped pattern. Individual phenomena often simulated epileptic activity; rarely did complete episodes closely resemble epileptic seizures.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000175:diagnosis; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000175:diagnosis; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014743:Videotape Recording